Uganda: Besigye - 'Does Uganda Need All the 82 Ministers?'

12 June 2022
Nile Post News (Kampala)

The leader of People's Front for Transition(PFT), Dr. Kizza Besigye has wondered why a highly indebted nation like Uganda has many ministers, legislators, presidential advisors and Resident District Commissioners(RDC) who all survive on taxpayers money.

Speaking to the media in Kampala, Besigye said that things must change now, calling upon Ugandans to wake up.

"The president has presidential advisors also on the rank of minister, those are uncountable. Last time I checked they were 114 and they keep on increasing and I don't know the number now including Full Figure and Buchaman," he said.

Besigye said Ugandans must demand before the new financial year to slash the cabinet to 15 ministers.

"The US is the biggest economy in the world with over 340m people. It has only 15 ministers. Why should Uganda with 40 million poor Ugandans have 82 ministers? We have solutions. What everybody must demand is that the size and cost of government must come down. You find a highly indebted poor country like Uganda with 82 ministers. We must make demands immediately," he said.

Besigye claimed that the NRM has engaged in outright robbery of state assets.

The four-time presidential candidate insisted that he is determined to awaken Ugandans to the crisis facing them, with regard to the rise in the cost of living.

Besigye was recently arrested in downtown Kampala while calling for protests against the government's decision to do nothing about the rising commodity prices.

"The crisis is primarily caused by the capture of the state by the cabal. It's not caused by Covid-19 nor the war in Ukraine. Once the armed cabal captures the state institutions, they gain the right to do anything. The NRM junta is the worst since Uganda existed," he said.

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